Cotton-picker&#39;s sled.



No. 886,451. PATENTE!) MAY 5.1808.

A. WINDSOR.

COTTON PIOKBRS SLED.

APPLIOAT'ION FILED AUG. 2, 1906.

UNITED sra-'rias PATENT" onnion.

THADDEUS A. WINDSOR,

OF ELGIN, OKLAHOMA.

COTTON-PICIQERS SLED.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, THADDEUS A. WINDSOR, a citizen of the United States,residing at Elgin, in the county of Comanche, Oklahoma, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Cotton-Pickers Sleds,- of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to a cotton picker s sled, and has for its objectto produce a device of this character upon which the picker may sit,kneel or stand as it is drawn between rows of cotton plants and pick thecotton from the bolls with ease and celerity.

A further object is to produce a device ofY this character which willgather up and gradually elevate the lower branches of the plants and towhich the sack can be conveniently attached in such a position that thecotton can be readily deposited therein.

With these general objects in view and others as hereinafter appear, theinvention consists in certain novel and peculiar features ofconstruction and organization as hereinafter described and claimed; andin order that it may be fully understood reference is to be had to theaccompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1, is a perspective view of acotton pickers sled embodying my invention. Fig. 2, is a centralvertical section of the same equipped with a hoop or other device todistend the mouth of the sack to receive the cotton. Fig. 3, is a crosssection on the line Ill-JH of Fig. 1.

In the said drawing, 1 indicates a pair of parallel bars connected attheir front ends by a V-shaped cross piece 2, and at intermediate pointsby cross bars 3, the bars 1 being preferably notched as at 4 to receivethe ends of the cross bars. This rigid frame is provided with a platform5, consisting preferably of a series of longitudinal planks nailed orotherwise secured to the undersides of cross bars 3 and having theirlower sides in substantially the same plane as the correspondingsurfaces of the bars 1 and the rear end of the platform forward of andunder the seat hereinafter described, is preferably cut away as at 6, toprovide an opening, as shown.

7 indicates a seat mounted upon standards 8 erected upon bars 1 at oposite sides of opening 6, and said seat by pre erence prol Specificationof Letters Patent.

Application filed August 2, 1906.

Patented May 5, 1908.

Serial No. 328,951.

jects outwardly beyond the standards as shown.

9 indicates a cross bar secured to the front portion of the frame andprojecting beyond the sides of the same if desired and forming a supportfor a pair of gathering frames formed of iron rods by preference, eachframe consisting of an inner arm l0 and an outer arm 11 united at theirrear ends by an arch 12, and having their front ends bent downward andrearward to form the points 13 and 14 respectively. These frames arearranged with their arches projecting a little higher than the plants,and incline downward and forward with the inner arms preferably securedto the su porting bar 9, as at 15. The arms 10 of the games aresubstantially parallel by preference and the arms 11 diverge forwardlywith respect to arms 10. To bring the branches of the plants nearer theoperator, the space between arms 1() and 11 may be contracted byattaching bowed guides 20 to arms 11, as shown, and the rear or archedends of the frames'can be braced by standards 21 rising from the bars 1.

In practice a horse is hitched to the front end of the sled and dragsthe same slowly through' the space between adjacent rows of cottonplants, with the driver, who also picks the cotton, preferably seatedupon seat 7. The cotton sack 16 is arranged under the seat to trailbehind the machine upon the ground and has its front end forward of theseat and secured to hooks 17 carried by a hoop 18, utilized for thepurpose of distending or holding open the mouth of the sack, and saidhoop by preference rests on the platform in an inclined position, beingheld reliably by leaning against the front edge of cross bar 3 and thefront edge of the seat as shown in Fig. 2, it being understood, however,that the hoop may rest upon the knees of the picker with the sackextending down between his legs. lt will also be noted that as the sledis dragged forward the bulk cotton placed in the sack works its waytoward the rear end of the same so that the picker shall not becompelled at very frequent intervals to force the cotton back or toraise the sack to a vertical position to accomplish such pur ose. Theopening in the rear end of the p atform is provided in order thatpractically the entire lower surface of the sack may come in contactwith the ground so as to more reliably insure rearward movement of thecotton in the sack, this rearward movement occurring because the centerof gravity of the cotton as it is piled in the mouth of the sack by thepicker is high and the forward movement of the sack tends to cause suchsacked cotton to work or roll toward the bottom or closed end of thesack.

As the sled is drawn along it rides over slight obstructions becauselike the pointed ends of the frames, its front end is beveled upwardslightly by preference, as at 19. In the progress of the sled the longerlow-lying branches of the cotton plants are picked up by arms 10 and 11and are bunched to a certain eXtent between said arms where they arewithin more convenient reach of the picker who can pick the cotton asthe sled is drawn slowly along or can rise from his seat and thus beenabled to pick the cotton along the entire length of the sled in theinterim between the movements of the latter.

The ends of the seat are projected laterally beyond the sides of thesled so that the operator while seated thereon upon one end or theother, may reach a greater distance beyond the sides of the sled forcotton inaccessible when upon the middle of the seat.

With a sled of this character a woman/can pick cotton Without unduefatigue and at the same time a child which cannot be left at home, mayride upon the platform.

From the above description it will be apparent that l have produced acotton pickers sled possessing the features of advantage enumerated asdesirable and I wish it to be understood that l do not desire to belimited to the exact details of construction shown and described asobvious modifications will suggest themselves to one skilled in the art.

Having thus described the invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A cotton pickers sled, comprising a sled frame to d rag upon theground, and gathering frames flanking the said sled frame and eachcomprising innerand outer arms connected at their rear ends and havingtheir front ends resting upon the ground and formed to ride overordinary irregularities in the surface thereof.

2. A cotton picker s sled, comprising a sled frame to drag upon theground, and gathering frames flanking the said sled frame, and eachcomprising inner and outer arms connected at their rear ends and havingtheir front ends resting upon the ground and formed to ride overordinary irregularities inthe surface thereof; said arms being pitcheddownwardly and forwardly.

3. A cotton pickers sled, comprising a sled to drag upon the ground, andgathering frames flanking the said sled frame, and each comprising innerand outer arms connected at their rear ends and having their front endsresting upon the ground and formed to ride over ordinary irregularitiesin the surface thereof; said arms being pitched downwardly andforwardly, and a seat supported above the sled frame and rearward of thegathering arms.

4. A cotton pickers sled comprising a sledr frame having a platform cutaway at its rear end, a seat supported above the sled frame oppositesaid cut-away portion of the platform, and gathering frames fiankingsaid sled frame and each comprising inner and outer arms connected attheir rear ends and having their front ends resting upon the ground andformed to ride over ordinary irregularities in the surface thereof.

5. A cotton pickers sled comprising a sled frame having a platformcutaway at its rear end, a seat supported above the sled frame rearwardof said cut-away portion of the platform, and downwardly and forwardlysloping gathering frames, each comprising forwardly diverging armsunited at their rear ends by an arch and terminating at their front endsin oints adapted to ride over ordinary irregullarities in the surface ofthe ground, the inner arms of said frames being secured rigidly to thesled frame.

6. A cotton pickers sled, comprising a sled frame pointed at its frontend and provided at such end with a cross bar and at its rear end withan elevated seat, and provided also with a platform having its rearportion cut away, and a pair of gathering frames secured to said crossbar and each comprising forwardly diverging arms united at their rearends by'an arch and terminatin at their front ends in points adapted toric e over ordinary irregularities in the surface of the ground.

7. ln a cotton ickers sled, the combination of a pointe frame, todrag-upon the ground and provided with an elevated seat at its rear endand a platform cut away at its rear end at a point forward of said seat,with a hoop resting upon the platform and of size to lean back againstthe front edge of the seat, and a sack extending under the seat andtrailing upon the ground at the cut away end of the platform, and havingits mouth secured to and distended by said hoop.

8. A cotton picker-s sled provided at each side with a gathering frameconsisting of rearwardly and upwardly converging arms, and an archconnection for the rear ends of said arms; the outer arm having aportion just forward of the arch which is bowed toward the inner arm ofsaid frame.

9. A cotton pickers sled provided at each side with a frame consistingof rearwardly and upwardly converging arms havingtheir front ends bentto form runners for engage- In testimony whereof I ax my signature,

menthwith the roind, zlznd an arch onneotin the presence of tWoWitnesses. y

ing t e rear en s o sai( arms, means for se- 7 curing the inner arms ofsaid frames rigidly THADDEUS A' V INDSOR' 5 to the sled near its frontend, and standards Y Witnesses:

secured to the sled near its rear end and to H. M. VVINN,

the rear ends of said inner arms. L. L. KIBBE.

